Forever
by ElMexicanoAmericano
Summary: She would never be alone again. He would always be with her. Forever. Even in death.
1. Chapter 1

Forever

**A/N: WHAT THE FUCK! Hiro! Why you do this? STAWHP! I know I posted yesterday and said I wouldn't post/update this week but fuck that! I needed to post about that last chapter, it was… MAJOR SPOILERS IN THIS FIC ABOUT MANGA CHAPTER 416! So yeah, be ready because here we go. My take on what will happen when Natsu returns and Gray fights END aka Etherious Natsu Dragneel! Ladies and gentlemen this is canon! The theories were right! SO HERE WE GO ENJOY!**

**XXXXXXX**

A man walked through the barely reconstructed gates of Magnolia, his head held high. As high as a man who had no home could hold it. Natsu Dragneel may have had a physical home, but his real home was gone. Fairy Tail had disbanded after he had gone on his journey; everyone who he had called family had gone. Except for one person, but the way he had left her probably made her a no-go for staying with.

Or so he had thought, because as he passed the town square, he was pounced on. The culprit? Why one Lucy Heartifilia of course! "Natsu!" She yelled, the voice warming the dragon slayer's heart.

"Luce!" Natsu yelled as he stood up and looked at her; happy she was still here and looking like she had a year ago. "You haven't changed a bit!" He hugged her and squeezed as tightly as possible. While he had trained to get stronger, he had she wouldn't resent him for the letter good-bye he gave her.

"You know I'm still mad at you right?" She said and his heart sank a little, but not too much. He had known she would not be happy, but at least she didn't attack him on the spot. He pulled back enough so she could see him nod his head in response to her question, then she buried her head into the crook of his shoulder. "At least your home." She said; people around them smiling at how sweet of a reunion the duo were having.

Unfortunately it was cut short, a new scent in the air catching Natsu's attention. "Hey Lucy, did Gray decide to stay here too?" Natsu asked, sniffing the air to find where his best friend/rival was. Lucy's eyes went wide, fear gripping her heart.

Gray was not supposed to be here. He was supposed to be searching for END. There should be no way that he knew who END really was, that END was in fact the man she holding tightly only in an etherious form. No one was supposed to know except for herself, she had only found out from the spirit king. He had been around when END was first around and knew his true name. Igneel had known this as well; it was why he had tried to free Natsu from that half by taking in his form. To raise him so he would never reach this point, but he had failed.

"Natsu you need to leave. Now!" She yelled, knowing there was only one chance to save the man she held onto for dear life. The man coming may be her friend, but there was no way she would let him kill Natsu. No way. Even if it meant protecting this demon hybrid, even if it meant protecting a reason her guild had been destroyed. A reason why she was now alone. Levy and Gajeel had left soon after to do their own journey, Wendy had gone off with Doranbolt/Mest who was actually a guild member. Mira and Lisanna had left as well, Elfman and Evergreen going off on their own as well. Laxus had formed his own guild with Freed and Bickslow; Erza had left to find Jellal. Gray and Juvia hadn't been seen since immediately after Tartarus. Lucy had been alone for a very long time, she didn't need the first one to come back dead already. She couldn't handle that.

"What? Why? Wait… no he couldn't know that. Not this quickly, I barely even…" Natsu asked, but the rest of his words were stuck on his lips. He had discovered the truth, that he was END. When he discovered this he immediately sent Happy away for his own safety, he could never risk the safety of Happy. He had even debated coming here, he couldn't bear to hurt Lucy, but he needed to see her. He needed to know that she didn't hate him before he died. Yes, he had decided that for the safety of his friends, he would let Gray kill him without issue. He had just hope to see Gildarts one last time, Master Makarov to ask for an explanation, Gajeel and Laxus and Erza for one last fight, Lisanna to leave Happy in her care. But he knew this was inevitable, so he was ready. "Lucy leave. This needs to happen."

"NO! Natsu, I don't care that you are… well you know. A demon hybrid thing. That you're END." Lucy said, her eyes beginning to water with tears she had thought long since spent. "I can't lose you too. I just… I just can't."

Now Natsu was crying as well, he knew this would always have been the hardest good-bye. He cared for her greatly, loved her if he was honest with himself. He may have been dense, but his discovery had made him realize the truth. He loved Lucy Heartifilia, and would he would never hurt her. NEVER. "Lucy. I'm sorry."

"Oi! Flame Brain!" Came gray's voice as he arrived on the scene, Juvia following behind. She looked sad that this was the scene they had arrived to; she knew how Lucy would feel about this. She did not want her hurting like she would be, but she also knew this was inevitable. "Lucy! You need to get away from him! He's…" Gray warned, but was cut off by Lucy.

"END. I know. But I can't let you hurt him!" Lucy yelled, stepping in front of Natsu. If you were going to have the man that she loved killed, you were going to have to go through her. "Gray, he's still the same Natsu! The one you grew up with, the one you called Nakama!" She pleaded; hoping her pleas would reach him, calm him in some way.

Her pleas fell on icy, deaf ears. "No it makes sense. We always fought, I could barely stand you. We never really saw eye to eye, we needed Erza to make us be friendly. I thought it was because you were my rival, but no. You are no rival, you are the one thing I was destined to destroy. Deliora may have not been my demon, but you are." Gray said, his voice icy and sharp. There was no way he was going to let this demon escape him, it was the last thing his dad had asked of him. What kind of son would he be if he didn't fulfill his final wish?

Natsu sighed and pushed Lucy aside gently. "You're right. And ironically, I agree with you for once. I must die." Natsu then went into his etherious form, becoming the greatest demon ever created: END. "Kill me in this form. This way, you know END will never come back. And don't worry about Zeref or Acnologia; I killed them. I am the last remaining vestige of evil Zeref created in this world. So please, just kill me." 

"NOOOO! Natsu! Don't…. please don't leave me…" Lucy cried out, she could not lose him, not again. And this time, it would be for good. Lucy fell to the floor as Natsu looked at her, his eyes solemn, listless, and yet full of sadness. He had already accepted his fate, but it broke his heart to see Lucy like this.

"I'm sorry Luce, but I'm doing so I won't hurt anyone. I care about you guys too much, I can't bear to know you're hurt because of me." He leaned down and placed a kiss on Lucy's forehead, and said his final words, "I love you Lucy."

He stood straight again and nodded at Gray. Gray nodded and went into his demon slayer mode. The last words that Natsu Dragneel ever heard were, "Ice Devil's Zeroth Destruction Bow!" The arrow flew from where Gray stood, the flight it took feeling like it took an eternity. Lucy could only watch, watch as the man he loved more than anything, the man she missed so much she had contemplated suicide because she knew he would never be there for her again, watch as they arrow struck his heart. Natsu grunted, staggering back a few steps before falling on his back taking his last breath. Then as he looked up and saw a storm coming, a fitting ending. The last sensation he felt was a rain-drop hitting his face, as he lay there, bleeding, before he passed on. Natsu's demon form disappeared, now only the true Natsu still there.

Lucy could only look at Natsu, unable to comprehend it. He was dead? No. NO! She couldn't be alone again; she would never go through that again. Then she saw her only hope for not being alone: the arrow that had killed Natsu. It was still there, it had not faded away yet. She would never be alone again. She crawled over to Natsu's now dead body, looking back to see Gray talking to Juvia. He was shaken by what he had done, he had wanted to do this but it still was painful.

Lucy then grabbed the arrow and pulled with all her might. She managed to get out of his chest, and then looked at it. His blood was all over it and, soon enough, so would hers. Juvia saw what Lucy was doing, she began to run towards her, yelling, "Lucy-san! NO!" Gray turned to see what was happening, then he turned and ran at her too.

But both were too slow. Lucy took a deep breath and stabbed herself in the heart. The arrow pierced her heart, yet actually fixed her heart. It had reunited her with the man she loved. Forever.

**XXXXXXXXX **

**A/N: Oh gods! The angst! The sadness! Gah, this needed to be written! I have nothing else to say, ADIOS!**


	2. Chapter 2

Forever? What About Us?

**A/N: So I really wanted to write this as well, a kind of response to what happened in Forever by the other former guild members. Read the first chapter to find out what happened! ENJOY!**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A couple of people, one a tall man and the other a petite woman, walked past the barely standing gates of Magnolia. They walked briskly, with a purpose. They were looking for a friend who they knew was going through a rough time. Their friend had been staying in a ghost town waiting for a man who might never come home, it had been a full year since he left. And three weeks since she had last written them. Her letters had been… worrisome to say the least. She seemed… desperate for news of him.

"Gajeel we should hurry, I'm worried about Lu-chan." The young woman known now as Levy Redfox said to her newlywed husband. The wedding had been three months ago, a quiet affair for those who were guild members. Everyone had come, except for two people: Lucy Heartifilia and Natsu Dragneel. And that was when she knew something was wrong.

Gajeel Redfox, still as callous on the exterior as ever, replied tersely, "Ah, you worry too much. I don't even know why we came, Bunny-girl is an adult. If she can't take care of herself yet then she's fucking useless." Though he said that with an edge to his tone, his time with Levy had let her know he was lying. She knew he was also worried, his pace quickening without him ever acknowledging that Levy had been right. And why shouldn't he be, he may not admit it that much but he regarded Natsu as an equal and Lucy as a younger sister. He needed to protect her and make sure he was alright, it had been a year after all.

Then Gajeel sniffed the air and smelled something that he shouldn't have. He stopped moving and his face paled, this couldn't be right. "Gajeel… what's wrong?" Levy asked, her worry seeping through every syllable when she spoke. She knew that look, that look meant something had gone horribly wrong. The last time she saw that face was when they had gone to find Belno and found her… "NO… No way. Gajeel, answer me now! What's WRONG?!"

He smelled blood. Blood that he had smelled only when he had gone into battle with these two people, had entrusted them with his life. But how could he smell their blood? They couldn't be hurt here, no one else other than Gray and Juvia were here… "Shrimp, just be quiet and get ready."

"Ready for wha….. HEY!" Levy protested as Gajeel picked her up and started running. He ran as fast as his legs could move him, he ran like a gazelle yet he knew he wasn't fast enough. Then he smelled salt, meaning tears, meaning the nail in the coffin: literally. He smelled two sources of the tears, Gray and Juvia. Who could have caused these tears? What happened?

Soon enough, the answer was apparent. There on the ground were Lucy and Natsu, blood all over them, Gray and Juvia near them sobbing in disbelief. Gajeel stopped running, forgetting that he had his newlywed wife slung over his shoulder. She felt his grip loosen and she jumped down, then saw the scene. "LU-CHAN!" She cried out, her heart breaking.

Gray and Juvia turned to see Gajeel and Levy there, disbelief in their eyes. Gray stood and moved towards them, but that was a mistake. It revealed Lucy's body, the arrow used before on Natsu sticking out of her chest. Gajeel and Levy saw this, anger pouring out from their hearts, joining their sorrow. Gajeel moved first, charging at Gray and grabbing him by the throat. Gajeel slammed Gray to the floor, creating a crater by sheer force. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!"

Gray tried to speak, but the vice grip Gajeel had on his neck would not allow him to do so. "Gajeel-kun! You do not understand! It is not as it seems!" Juvia cried out, hoping that Gajeel would at least listen to Gray. But how could Gajeel simply not believe what his eyes saw? Lucy was dead, an arrow of ICE in her chest. Hell Natsu was dead in a very similar fashion. It was quite obvious what happened, Gray had killed them both.

"Gajeel. Let him talk. I want to hear this before I let you kill him." Levy said, upset and sad beyond what she thought possible. Her best friend, dead? How could this happen, she needed her best friend! Who else would be there when she needed someone to talk to about her troubles, who would be there to talk about the newest books, who would just simply be there for her? If not Lucy, then who?

Gajeel growled, his inner vile self that he had worked to push down wanting to just kill Gray, deliver his justice. What other explanation could there be? But his Shrimp had asked him for this, and she was far more important than revenge. Still growing, he removed his hand from his throat and sat back on his butt, letting Gray get some air.

Gray gasped for air, his breathing ragged as he tried to regain oxygen. After a few moments and after regaining some semblance of composure he started his defense. He only hoped that it was enough to save himself, "Ok, before I say anything else there is something that you must know. Natsu is END. END stands for Etherious Natsu Dragneel. I am dead serious here, Loke heard this from the Spirit King who was around when END was first created. He feared for Lucy so he told me because he knew how I wanted to defeat END. So then I came here as fast as I could and only arrived today. I found Natsu and Lucy here and confronted them. Natsu and I agreed on one thing: He needed to die."

It was at this point that Gajeel spoke up, "And who the fuck says you can decide who dies?"

"Natsu asked me to do so. He knew it was coming, he had already killed Zeref and Acnologia. He said that he was the last of Zeref's evil! So I obliged…" Gray responded, but choked up as he did. He might not have liked Natsu, but he did call him Nakama. And that meant something.

"And what about Lu-chan?!" Levy asked impatiently, anger exuding from her tiny body. That was all that mattered, who had killed her best friend? Her confidant? Her sister?

Gray looked away, the memory of what Lucy had done haunting him. It was Juvia who spoke, but only after a very long and painful silence, "Lucy-san… Lucy-san snapped. She had been very lonely, so it seemed, and the death of her beloved Natsu broker. She decided she would never be without him again. She killed herself."

Odd, when someone says that three words changed their life those words usually were the ones that made you happy forever. To make your heart feel complete, full, like it would never break. Not the opposite. How could this be? How could Lucy, who had always been so happy, do this to herself? How could she leave her friend alone like this? HOW?!

Gajeel was the first to find some sort of sounds that sounded like words, "Wha… Wh… no… no that can't… no…" Levy never found words, her mind had shut down, as did her body. Levy fell forward, unconscious, her mind unable to comprehend what she had been told. How could her friend do this to her? What about those she was leaving? WHAT ABOUT US?! Her mind screamed as Gajeel caught her before she fell. "SHRIMP! Shrimp, LEVY! Talk to me!"

Gray was in the same boat as Levy, the realization of the truth hitting him. He had killed his friend, well more like that annoying cousin you still love, but still. He had KILLED him. And then, his younger sister figure, the girl he had always wanted to protect because of how close they were, killed herself. In front of him. How could she? How could she have been so selfish?! Yes selfish in his eyes, how could she not have realized she had those who loved her? WHAT ABOUT US?! We loved her too! How could she leave us here, without the joy of her being there for us?

Juvia placed a hand on Gray's back and said, "Come Gray-sama. We cannot stay here. Let us take the bodies with us and prepare for their funerals. Gajeel-kun. Please carry Levy." Juvia was also a mess, but knew that someone had to be strong. She could not break down yet, that could wait for later. Now, there was planning to do.

Gajeel nodded and picked up Levy, Juvia having roused him from his confusion. Slowly he picked up Levy, Gray picked up Natsu and Lucy, using his ice to do so, and they marched back to where they thought they could stay. The ruins of the guildhall. The walk was deathly silent, Gajeel was glaring so heatedly at Gray that he could have burned a hole in his head, Gray looked down and couldn't even mutter a word, and Juvia fought back the tears that wanted so badly to escape. They soon arrived at the ruins, the walls now barely up to their shins. But it was their home, ruined in every sense of the term. Juvia pulled out a lacrima that had the guild mark on it, then dialed it so everyone who had been a guild member would receive the call to return. Something had happened. Something that was too late to fix.

Those not there soon received the message and made their way back as quickly as possible, everyone gathered in less than a week. Their reactions had all been the same. The spirit of these people was now broken. Not only had their loveable goofball turn out to be an ancient demon, but now he was dead. And their favorite blonde celestial mage, dead as well. How? How could this have happened? She loved the idiot, wanted to be with him forever. Forever? What about us? What about those left to pick up the pieces? WHAT ABOUT US?!

Soon everyone who had known the two were gathered. Everyone from former mages to current ones, to kings and princesses, to random people they had saved, everyone who had met the duo came. Came to see if the news was true, hoping to see it was some prank. They were disappointed. The funeral itself was held outside near the tree in the southern parks of Magnolia, it was the only place that could hold everyone. The procession was short, people unable to find the words as the grief was still so fresh. The burial was even faster, so as not to prolong the sadness. The only good for anyone was the Kleenex factory was now selling their product at all time high. Though no profit was made, they couldn't charge for this. This was simply too much, too… too saddening, too maddening, too much. The tombstones that had been created nearly caused everyone to flood Magnolia in tears, Natsu's not the issue. Although it was sad, as it read '_Natsu Dragneel, Friend, Nakama, Love for Lucy now eternal.'_, it was not the main cause of grief. Lucy was the culprit here, or rather her tombstone was, _'Lucy Dragneel Heartifilia, Friend and , Forever with her beloved.'_

The final phrase, the reason she had killed herself now apparent, broke the hearts of many. She had decided she would never be alone again. Forever with Natsu. Forever?

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: Sniffle. I'm sorry if this is too much for you but I really wanted to write this. And let me say this, if you ever suspect someone you know might be considering suicide, DO SOMETHING! Even if you were dead wrong, doing something is better than standing by and doing nothing! SO DO SOMETHING! Well my rant is over, goodbye now! ADIOS!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! So the response and reviews have been astounding! However one review has me wondering if you guys do understand that this was only a two shot. For now, if you guys like it a lot and want more, please let me know! I would not mind and probably enjoy writing more! So let me know if you want more sadness, and if not then say nothing! Well I leave you now, ADIOS!**

***Edit! DUE TO A REQUEST THERE IS ANOTHER CHAPTER! READ ON!**


	4. Chapter 4

Burying Your Children

**A/N: So as flyingmutatedmonkeysqurrils23 (nice username by the way) asked I will continue this story at least one more time! So this will also be another reaction to the events of the first chapter and before the funeral, so ENJOY!**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A small old man walked past the once proud gates that led to Magnolia. The gates were now like him, old and falling apart. Sure, master Makarov had decided to disband the guild and let his children run free, but he also knew this would be his one of his last decisions he would ever have to make. Yet that was not why he was an emotional mess: no that wasn't it. He had made sure that if guild members, well ex-guild members now, could contact each other freely by giving them lacrima frequencies that only they could use. And he had put in a feature that had only one purpose: an emergency of life and death.

He had only put that feature as a feature that no one should ever have to use; yet here he was, on a call on the secure frequency using that emergency signal. It had caused the old man and worrying father that master Makarov to leave within twenty seconds of receiving the message. Luckily he did not have to go very far, he lived in Hargeon now. Magnolia was too painful to stay in, yet he wanted to keep a watch over the city he had called home for so long. He would not allow anything to befall this place. ANYTHING.

He walked past the ruined buildings he had seen rebuilt numerous times, many because of his adopted children, and could manage more than a glance at any of them. All of them being like this, barely able to be considered a building more like four piles of rubble that made up walls, and it broke his heart. He had hoped people would rebuild, but many left when Fairy Tail did, they were the heart of this town after all. It would seem that when Fairy Tail left, so too did the will to rebuild.

Makarov sighed, wondering why Lucy had sounded the alarm. Surely it was her, she was the only who still lived in Magnolia and would be the only logical person who would sound the alarm. And the reason was probably Natsu, he would always make Lucy worry. He checked the lacrima so he could find the location of where the call was coming from. The location was now clear and it was not surprising at all, the guild hall was his destination. Or its ruins, he had not rebuilt it and it surely was not rebuilt. Why rebuild it if no one is there to use it?

"I swear, if the brats are playing a trick on me… Goddamn brats." Makarov said to himself, a small smile on his lips thinking that it could actually be a ploy. They could be trying to reform the guild and want him back. Makarov chuckled to himself, his brats would do something like that.

"Oh master! There you are!" Called out a voice that belonged to one of his oldest brats, the prodigal son: Gildarts. He had not seen him since before Tartarus, no before even the grand magic games. It had been a very long time since he had even heard news of Gildarts, let alone see or hear the man.

"Ah, Gildarts! What brings you back to Magnolia?" Makarov asked of the man he had once hoped would bridge the gap from himself to Laxus. He had really hoped he would but Gildarts was a wild spirit, a nomad. A womanizing nomad. No, he never would have stayed any one place for very long.

"Uh, I'm coming home. What, you really forget that our home is here?" Gildarts replied, causing Makarov to realize that Gildarts had not been informed of Fairy Tail's disbanding. Makarov immediately felt guilty, how could he have forgotten about one of his oldest brats like this? Imagine, coming home after a very long time to find that your home was gone. That would be like a stab in the back. It was a stab in the back, the man he considered a father had up and left him homeless. Makarov felt some of the hope that had been in his heart leave him, until Gildarts said, "I actually also know that Natsu is coming home soon so I want to see his progress. I saw him a while ago and he had made some serious progress."

To hear that Gildarts had seen Natsu alive and well and stronger meant a great deal to Makarov. It meant that he was strong enough to care for himself, that he was alive and well, that the call was a ploy. The hope returned to his heart and he smiled at Gildarts. "That is good news. But I unfortunately have some bad news." Makarov said.

"What is it?" Gildarts asked, his face scrunched up in anticipation for the worst. Gildarts could only assume that someone had died, or that master had retired, or that someone had left the guild a.k.a. Cana. He had always wondered about how she had been doing, he had not heard much of her and hoped she was safe.

Makarov sighed and knew from his many walks that they were near the guild ruins. "After a massive battle and seeing that the brats had a need to spread out, I disbanded Fairy Tail. I'm only here because I received an emergency call from someone who was in our guild." Makarov said and Gildarts had stopped walking from the shock.

That had to be a joke, right? Makarov had not stopped walking and Gildarts looked at him. This was a joke, right? Why was he so serious? Gildarts followed after him about to ask him what the real bad news was until he saw the rubble that was the guildhall. He wasn't lying. HE WASN'T LYING! What?! How could Makarov do such a thing and not tell him? And why had no one told him? What about Natsu, did he know as well?

Gildarts fumed silently as he was about to ask what his thoughts had asked himself until a third voice interrupted them, "Master! Gildarts!" Both men looked to the source of the voice and saw Levy there with Gajeel, Juvia, and Gray. No Natsu or Lucy, which surprised the two of them as they had expected one of the two to be there. And her tone was also a bad omen, it was small and full of sadness and… something neither man could put their finger on.

"Levy! Were you the one who called out to everyone?" Makarov asked the small woman who nodded her head. Gajeel looked at the two and looked like a mess, as did both Juvia and Gray, especially Gray. Gildarts had seen that face before, when he had first brought Gray to Fairy Tail. He had done something that was haunting him.

"Gray, what's wrong? Why the long face?" Gildarts asked of one the two people he had considered his son, the other being Natsu. They acted like brothers, always fighting and arguing, never seeing eye to eye unless it was serious. He wanted to know what bothered his son, and he would not take no for an answer. HE WOULD NOT.

Gray hesitated, then closed his formerly open mouth. He seemed as if he could not find the words or simply did not want to. But Gajeel wasn't having it, as he said, "Oi! Tell them! Tell them the truth! TELL THEM WHAT YOU DID!" His voice was angry, malice and vileness seeping through every syllable. He was angry, but why was now the question. Why was he so angry with a man he usually only feigned hatred towards? Why did he seem so broken on the inside? Makarov did not like the tone and knew something very serious had happened. But what? WHAT?!

Gray took a deep breath and nodded before saying, "There is something that you must know. Natsu is END. END stands for Etherious Natsu Dragneel. It is the truth, Loke told me and Loke heard this from the Spirit King who was around when END was first created. And my mission was to destroy END. So Juvia and I came back here to wait for him and… confront him." Gray paused as he choked up for a second, neither old man liking where this was going. Gildarts only hoped that Natsu had run away, that this whole thing was a ruse. But Makarov knew immediately what happened.

What he heard next only confirmed it, "So we arrived here yesterday to find that he was here, with Lucy. So I confronted him and we… came to an agreement. He needed to die and asked me to do so. He… knew that this was what the world needed, no more of Zeref's demons. He had already defeated Acnologia and Zeref himself. He was the last piece of that terror, so I obliged. I- I… I killed him" Gray stammered out the last part and Makarov could not believe his ears. His own brats, killing each other? Gildarts was in the same boat, his own sons killing the other? HOW! How could his sons who he had believed to love each other do this?! HOW?! HOOOOOOWWWWW?!

Makarov lost it, he may be old but he was still a strong mage and proved it. He transformed into his muscular, larger body and attacked Gray. He punched Gray square in the jaw sending Gray flying. Makarov's eyes were filled with tears, his heart broken now beyond repair. How could he have to bury his own child, how could he?! He was old! His children should have buried him! Not the other way around! "WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO DECIDE THIS?!" Makarov yelled, his anger having reached it maximum level. He was beyond angry, he was so beyond any human emotion he could not even register any thoughts other than anger. Gildarts was still too shocked to even move, his son that he had only seen a while ago was now dead. How…

Makarov took some more steps towards, until, "WAIT! Master, there's… there's more.", Juvia cut in, throwing up a water wall to cut off Makarov before he could reach Gray. Makarov looked at Juvia, how could there be more? "After Gray-sama assisted Natsu-san in finishing off Zeref's evil… Lucy-san was heartbroken. She… she did something rather irrationally silly. She…" Juvia started but could not finish, the memory too fresh. Both men now were reeling, they both knew what she meant, but could only hope she was covering for Gray, she loved him.

But their hopes were dashed, Gajeel finishing the truth for everyone to hear, "She killed herself. She decided to live forever with the idiot in death rather than die alone." The words that Gajeel said brought the world down around them. Lucy? Committed suicide? She AND Natsu dead? DEAD? How… no… why? WHY?! Makarov immediately shrunk back to normal and simply stood where he was. He couldn't even move anymore, his heart was now more broken than the rubble he was standing in. He had been falling apart when he made his way here, but now he was just dust. Broken into a million pieces and ground into dust. He now had to bury two of his children.

Gildarts was in the same shape, his son and the woman he clearly loved both dead. How could this be? He had to bury his own son? HOW COULD THIS BE?!

This was the question the two men were asking themselves as they waited the week that it took everyone to return home and hear the news. Makarov had not moved an inch on his own, glued to the spot where his world had shattered. People had helped him move everywhere, tears staining their clothing as they did so as Makarov cried every last tear in him.

Gildarts was able to move, his daughter being the only person who could get words out of him. But his words were hollow, much like he was now. His world had crashed around him, he had no real soul anymore.

The funeral came, where the only words said were broken and said with the tone of a zombie. The burials came as well, and those officially ended any hope Makarov had of recovering. Seeing his children buried before him, it led to something even graver. He disowned and banished Gray. He told Gray to leave and never return to this city, Gray was never allowed to step even a toe in the place he had called home for so long. Juvia joined him of course, but Gray accepted his punishment. And no one contested the decision, their adopted father had spoken and his role as the patriarch had not changed. He was in charge and no one argued with him. Gray was now alone, no place to call home. What better punishment for a man that betrayed his family, he had done it before with his own flesh and blood so there was no choice or doubt. He had forced him to bury his own children, he was no longer considered one of them. For what greater tragedy is there for a parent than having to bury your own child?

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**For now, Fin. If you want more let me know. ADIOS!**


	5. Chapter 5

No….

**A/N: So by request this story shall continue! So sorry it's taken so long, life has been trying to kick my ass but I won! Suck it life! Here comes the next reaction, ENJOY!**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A small caravan of people and flying cats passed under the gates, more or less made of paper mache, and entered Magnolia. The group had not seen each in almost a year, when they were all members of the same guild. "Hey Happy, how's Natsu doing now a days?" Asked a white haired woman, whose hair was cut short, her question for the small blue cat in the group.

The blue cat known as Happy shrugged, his reply very nonchalant, "I don't really know Lisanna. I haven't seen him for a few months, he said it would be safer for me if I stayed away from for a bit. He was in a rougher area when we split up but I'm pretty sure he just wanted to come here and see Lucy alone. He liiiiiiiikkkkkkeeeeessss her." The blue snickered out the last part, smirking gleefully at the thought that Natsu and Lucy were together again.

Lisanna on the other hand wasn't as happy as Happy was. Sure she was happy that Natsu was undoubtedly happy with someone like Lucy, but there was a small part of her that wanted Natsu to be with her. She had loved him ever since they were children, how could she not still want him? Lisanna's sister however, Mirajane who also a member of this caravan, was happier than Happy was. The matchmaker in her who dreamed of couples and their babies was on cloud nine, her dream pairing was a real one!

"Are you sure he sent you away for your own safety? That doesn't sound like Natsu-san…" Asked a younger blue haired girl, she looked concerned as she knew that something smelled fishy. And it wasn't Happy.

"Wendy! That's very rude! Of course Natsu wanted to protect Happy." A white cat known as Charle chastised, something she did as much as breathing. Wendy sighed, knowing her question had come out wrong. She knew that Natsu would think he could protect Happy with his own bare hands, there was something else at work here.

"Sorry Charle but I didn't mean it that way. I mean that Natsu would protect happy personally, with his own strength. Not by sending him away. Something is not right." Wendy replied calmly, Charle's lessons in manners evident. The group was silent now, all understanding that Wendy was right. Lisanna knew this the best, she knew how much he cared for Happy. If he had sent Happy away… then he thought he might die. But there was no way Natsu would die, he was too strong and had the will of one hundred mages! There was no way he could die. No way.

Then the only human male in the group spoke up, "Wendy's right. I mean look at why we're even here, an emergency call was sent out on a secure frequency that only guild members can use. And it's from here, only two people would send it from here at this point, Natsu or Lucy. Either way, this feels like something bad happened." The man was Doranbolt, who only until a year ago thought he was council member with sympathies towards the former guild known as Fairy Tail. Not an actual guild member who was spying more or less on the council to make sure they didn't try and destroy the guild. He had argued profusely with Makarov to not disband, he wanted to be a part of his home again! But unfortunately his pleas fell on deaf ears and the guild disbanded. He took Wendy with him as he decided to travel and train himself, to try and regain his memories that he had erased. It didn't work.

"Doranbolt is right, something is off." The final member of the caravan, a flying black cat named Pantherlily said. He had been in the exceed's new home visiting when he had gotten the call, so he met up with this group and went with them. "Gajeel isn't responding either, and he was with Levy. He last said he was on his way here with Levy to visit Lucy. That was five days ago. The call came three days ago when they should have arrived here. Something went wrong and we should hurry to the former guild site, it's the source of the signal." Pantherlilly sounded like he always had, like a soldier and a leader. He was the one who brought this group together and brought them here using Doranbolt's direct line. This was his show, his best friend was most likely in trouble he would make sure he safe. No way he would stand by idly if Gajeel was in trouble. No way.

Everyone in the caravan nodded and kept moving, the group's pace faster than before. Soon enough they were there, where they saw an odd scene before them. Heartbreaking really. Master Makarov was simply standing in the middle of the guild, as if he was stuck there by some spell. Gildarts was sitting in the corner, his arms crossed and his eyes puffy, his head unmoving as it glared a hole in the ground. Those two didn't even acknowledge him, they seemed broken. Gajeel, Gray, Levy, and Juvia seemed more receptive, but that was only because Juvia and Levy were using their magic to make sure Gajeel didn't try and attack Gray… who simply sat on the floor with his head hung low. He didn't even try and look up, he didn't look like he was capable of doing it. If Gajeel was not being restrained, Gray would be dead. But what was even odder, there was no sign of Lucy or Natsu. The only other objects there were two bags that were big, and oddly shaped. What they could be, no one knew.

The group looked on in confusion, unable to make sense of what was happening. Pantherlily was the first to react, rushing to Gajeel's side and asking, "What is going on here?" He actually more or less could tell, being a soldier and all he had seen bags like those. But he didn't want it to be true because of one small blue exceed behind him. He considered Happy a little brother, and he didn't want Happy to see this.

Levy looked to see the group who had arrived and she sighed. She looked at Gray and then at Gajeel then back at Pantherlilly and the others. She knew that this would need to happen, she just dreaded the fact that it would have to even happen.

Gray looked up and saw Happy, then started his story. Happy would never be the same, but Gray knew he just needed to rip the band-aid off for him. This way he could start dealing with this right away, instead of being lied to. It made sense to him so he said, "Happy do you know why Natsu sent you away? Natsu is END. END stands for Etherious Natsu Dragneel. It is the truth, Loke told me and Loke heard this from the Spirit King who was around when END was first created. He wanted to keep you away for your own safety. And my mission was to destroy END. So Juvia and I came back here to wait for him and…"

Happy had heard enough already, Natsu a demon? The demon he had wanted to kill? No way. "NO WAY! THERE'S NO WAY IT'S TRUE!" A cry of disbelief came out, but not from Happy, he was incapable of any sounds at this point. No it was Lisanna, the woman whose heart had just been rocked and destroyed then stepped on and ground into fine dust by one she had considered a brother. "YOU'RE…"

"Lisanna, enough. Let him finish." Came a calm but small sounding voice that could only be Mira's. No one else her could calm Lisanna, Mira knew that, and the rest of the story needed to be heard. No matter what the ending was.

Gray had paused at Lisanna's outburst, unsure now if he should continue. He had seen her, but his mind was so warped right now he only registered the fact that Happy was there. Oh well he thought, the story needs to be finished, "I confronted him. I confronted him and we… came to an agreement. He wanted to die and asked me to do the job. He knew that this was what the world needed, no more of Zeref's demons. He had already defeated Acnologia and Zeref himself. He was the last piece of that terror, so I obliged."

Gray stopped talking for a minute, letting what he had said sink in. Happy could not comprehend what he had just said, he obliged? What did he mean? He couldn't have killed Natsu. He and Natsu were like brothers, there was no way he actually killed him. No way.

Lisanna was worse off than Happy. Lisanna stopped breathing. She really did. Her face went blue for a moment she stopped for so long. She only breathed once her brain started working again, when she fell to the floor unconscious. Mira was less shocked, not because she knew this but because after the start of the story she immediately figured out what had happened. The same went for Doranbolt and Wendy, shockingly enough, those two just stood looking at Gray blankly.

Charle could only feel her heartbreak for Happy. Natsu was dead. NATSU DRAGNEEL was DEAD. That meant that part of Happy had died as well, his life had revolved around Natsu. And now he was dead. No way this was happening. There was no way right? No way.

But there was one question that still unanswered. "And Lucy? Where is she?" Asked Mira, her face very serious; the usual smile that graced her beautiful face gone and replaced by a small glare.

Gajeel answered, and his answer broke everyone's hearts. "She killed herself. She decided to live forever with the idiot in death rather than die alone." At this everyone broke. Tears flowed out of every pair of eyes, no one had expected THIS. They thought maybe she had left, her depression reaching an all time high. But suicide? How could this be? Happy had been floating until then, but when he heard that fact… he just stopped functioning. He fell to the ground, unmoving. Now his life was over. There was no way he could rebound now. He would have preferred being lied to forever, if that meant not having to live with the knowledge that Natsu AND Lucy were dead. No way. There was no way.

No one spoke, no one even moved. Time seemed to stand still. That is until a voice that no one had even noticed had arrived before Gajeel spoke said, "No way…" Those who still had control over their body turned to see the owner of the voice and her company: Erza Scarlet and the other Crime Sorcière members had arrived. And they were shocked. They all shared one singular thought, it was only two letters: no…

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: Well that'll do it for now. Might end the story here, you know leave it on a cliffhanger forever….**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA How many of you just thought I was serious? Hahaha… sorry I'm partially a sadist it's why I wrote this story, I love seeing people feel pain….**

**HAHAHAHHAHA J.K. I'm evil I know if you want more let me know, if not then don't let me know. I'll probably be crying in a corner soon enough when the next chapter of the manga is released so yeah…. ADIOS!**


	6. Chapter 6

WHY?

**A/N: … … I'm so sorry. I have been experiencing so much stupid shit in my life that has combined with a case of writer's block. I say this but yet still have no excuse for the almost two week long delay in between chapters (That's too long in my book). Life tried kicking my ass again, it really did, that bitch, but I am pleased to say I should be more available now! Hopefully. Now I say this and have to say that this story is almost over, this being the second to last chapter. Maybe it's why I took so long, my subconscious hates ending a story because it's like saying goodbye to a kid. I take my time and care for each of my stories like they were my children so it pains me to have wasted so much time in neglecting them and having to say goodbye to them. Now to answer some good reviews: **

**Primero para jbadillodavila, perdón pero si están muertos. No tiene sentido para que están de parranda, este en un tragedia no un historia romántica. Perdón pero si están muertos.**

**Yes, I speak near fluent Spanish. This reviewer reviewed in Spanish so that's how I responded, if you want to know what the exchange is technically then figure it out via Google translate or something. **

**Right, so onto the other one, OfInkNRoses I totally love your idea! As such, PM and we will discuss it even more if you want! I would personally like to since that will be how the final chapter will go. There story spoiler alert. **

**Well I talked long enough, onto the chapter! ENJOY!**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Back to Three Days Ago, Immediately After the Deaths

If you had asked Natsu Dragneel how death would feel, he would say he would have no fucking clue. He hadn't experienced death himself yet, he had been alive as of ten minutes ago. Had been. Now he was, and he must say he didn't expect it to be so bland. He was a man that made everything he did exciting, and death was boring. There was nothing to do, just empty space. At least it was until two minutes ago. For one whole minute, death was worse than real life. Why? Well the woman he loved very much, Lucy Heartifilia, had committed suicide because she didn't want to be alone anymore. She had been lonely and depressed for long enough and when she saw her chance to not be that way, to be with someone, to be with the one she also loved, to be with Natsu Dragneel once more, she had been denied that chance. And she would be damned if she were going to be lonely again. So here we were, Lucy dead along with Natsu. Together forever. Angry.

Well at least Natsu was. Why would Lucy do that? Why would she kill herself so she could spend eternity with a demon like himself? WHY? "Natsu, listen to me." Lucy said, her plea falling on angrily deaf ears. He was giving her the silent treatment and if he had his way, it would last an eternity. "Natsu, you have to understand, I was alone for so long. I couldn't go through that again. Not again. When you left and then Fairy Tail disbanded right after, I was alone. Everyone had gone off their own, I was left to be alone. I tried to fill the void, but everything I did was so empty compared to when I did something with you that nothing worked. And I became a shell. I wasn't happy anymore. Not until I saw you again, you brought back my joy if only for how long our reunion lasted."

Natsu felt his heart breaking, he had guessed she had been lonely but not this lonely. He never even really thought about the repercussions of his trip to train, never really considered how those closest to him would be affected. But still, he couldn't forgive her. Lucy had not hurt only him by killing herself, no one wants to see one they love do that, but she also hurt everyone who loved her. Erza, Gray, Levy, Master, Juvia, Wendy, Mira, everyone. They loved her too and if she had reached out to them then they would have come to help her. Without a doubt. Why didn't she do that? WHY?

Lucy saw that her plea had not gotten through to him, not yet. She saw the look he had, his heart was aching for her pain. But he was still mad at her. She needed to go even deeper still. "Natsu, you are the only person who could have filled my void. Only you. I love you more than you will ever probably know. But now we have an eternity to get to know just how deep my love runs. Natsu, I killed myself because I lost the piece of my will to live when you died. You let Gray kill you for a noble cause, yes, but also a selfish one." Lucy said which caused Natsu to turn and look at her, which Lucy took as her cue to continue, "You did the same thing as when you left. You simply decided what was best without ever considering what others would feel. We missed you Natsu, everyone did. Regardless of who they were, whether you were friends, rivals, or enemies. Everyone wanted Natsu Dragneel there so they could experience Natsu Dragneel. But yet you decided that those people didn't matter. That only your opinion on the matter… well mattered. I know you only wanted to protect us Natsu, but we love you the way you are. You weren't evil, you were Natsu. And we love you for you. Demon or not. So please, let me know that you know this, please." Lucy finished with tears in her eyes, her voice cracking towards the end. She only hoped her very unorganized and unplanned speech went heard and would be responded to well.

Luckily, it was. Natsu was floored with a realization. He had been selfish at the end of his life. He assumed he was doing what was best, but he never considered the feelings of others. That wasn't the way he lived, thinking like that. He was a man of action. He was a fighter, not a thinker. He was violent, not thoughtful. Yet he had tried to be that. He should have asked someone, asked what he should have done, what was the best option for everyone who would be affected by his decision. Yet he didn't. And now here he was. Dead. With Lucy. Natsu sighed deeply. He was an idiot. An idiot that was unfairly loved so deeply by a woman who could do so much better. He walked over to her and, before she could see the tears in his eyes, hugged her.

Lucy let the tears fall now, onto Natsu's shoulder and chest as he hugged her and she hugged him back. "I'm sorry Luce." He said, his voice barely a whisper. "I'm an idiot." Lucy chuckled softly, finding his simple admission to be so like him. She hugged him more tightly, letting him know she knew and forgave him. He pulled his head up for a second and kissed her forehead, then placed his chin on top of her head.

That was when he saw something odd. It looked like a screen of sorts that was playing something. "Luce, look." Natsu said and spun her around. Lucy saw this strange thing and tilted her head to look at it. Natsu looked at it again and could see something else too, it looked like people were on the screen. He walked over to it, Lucy close behind him.

Soon enough they reached it and what they saw astounded them. It was a tele-lacrima like showing of the scene they had just left, their spirits left at least. Gray and Juvia were crying, the bodies next to them were theirs, and they were dead. Then a second screen popped up and it showed two more people: Gajeel and Levy. Levy was slung over Gajeel's shoulder and he was running towards where Gray and Juvia were. They soon arrived and saw the scene, neither moving an inch until Gajeel saw the arrow. Then he attacked. He demanded to know why the two were dead. WHY?

The Gray explained, everything exactly as it had happened pertaining to Natsu. Then Juvia finished the part about Lucy, breaking Gajeel and Levy's hearts. Levy fell unconscious but Gajeel caught her. Juvia said they should leave and so they did and headed back to the guild's ruins.

"What… What was that?" Natsu asked, shocked by what he had seen.

"I don't… I don't even know. Was that what happened in the real world?" Lucy asked, unsure if she could believe that.

"Yes. Yes it was." Came a new voice, a soft angelic one. The duo turned to see a small light, but the light was bright and was coming towards them. It blinded them, kind of scaring them a little, "Don't worry, I can't hurt you. You're dead. Welcome to the afterlife."

"Where are we? Is this heaven? Or hell? I'm guessing hell." Natsu said, the tragic scene he had just watched shaping his opinion.

The small light laughed softly, its voice melodic and soft. "No, neither one of those places. You see, this is purgatory or the waiting room. This is your waiting room."

"What are we waiting for?" Lucy asked, knowing that they had to be waiting for something like their judgment. They had to be, why else would they be sent here?

The small light laughed again, dimming itself so the two could see again. "No, you aren't waiting for your judgment. Your cases have already been settled. You two are going straight to hell. You two have too much blood on your hands and one of you is a demon. In fact most of your friends are. But the powers in charge have seen fit to allow you to watch how their lives unfold. So you will now have to wait until everyone from your guild arrives. EVERYONE. Well my job is done now, I will be leaving now. Goodbye." With that, the light left the duo dumbfounded. Stuck here until everyone got here? WHY? Why does the punishment have to start so harshly? WHY?! Why do they have to watch? WHY? WHY?!

Whoever was in charge was being cruel. Beyond cruel really. But, at least they had the time together to spend before damnation. "Well Luce, seems like we have a while to kill. Wanna watch it all with me?" Natsu asked. Lucy sighed deeply, this was going to be a very long and painful process. But she had a smile on her face. She would be going through it with Natsu. That made it better.

"Yes." She replied and sat down, patting the space next to her for Natsu to sit on. He nodded and sat down, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze. They had a long time together now, and that was all that mattered.

Back To The Present

No one spoke, no one even moved. Time seemed to stand still. That is until a voice that no one had even noticed had arrived before Gajeel spoke said, "No way…" Those who still had control over their body turned to see the owner of the voice and her company: Erza Scarlet and the other Crime Sorcière members had arrived. And they were shocked. They all shared one singular thought, it was only two letters: no…

Erza looked at everyone gathered. How could Lucy have committed suicide? She had been so happy and optimistic. Why did she do this? WHY? She had only heard the last part, she needed to know what had happened. She had to. "Gray! Explain! Where is Natsu?" This had been her second thought. Where was Natsu? Why wasn't he here, mourning the loss of the woman he undoubtedly loved. WHY? He would give anything to be with her. ANYTHING.

Gray sighed, this becoming a routine for him now. "Ok. So before I say anything else, I must say this. Natsu was END. END stands for Etherious Natsu Dragneel. It is the truth, Loke told me and Loke heard this from the Spirit King who was around when END was first created. He wanted to keep you away for your own safety. And my mission was to destroy END. So Juvia and I came back here to wait for him and…"

Erza charged Gray so fast he never saw her coming. She kneed him in the gut, and requipped a sword that she brought to his throat. "Gray, you're petty rivalry with Natsu has gone too far! Now stop lying and tell me the truth." Jellal and the others could only look on. Jellal knew that Gray wasn't lying. He could see it. But trying to tell Erza that would not end well. So he merely watched, waiting for the rest of the story to be told so he could stop Erza when she rampaged. He knew she would, and that only he could stop her.

Gray groaned, as always Erza never held back and she probably broke some ribs. But that didn't matter. She needed to understand that this was the truth. She had to. Then a bright light came forth, a dinging of a doorbell accompanying it. And then ten other lights soon joined it, the same sound with it. The lights then took shape, and revealed the Zodiac spirits that Lucy had owned. Loke was in the front with the others, including a very sad and angry looking Spirit King, behind him. Loke looked at Gray with a glare that even his glasses couldn't soften, in fact they magnified the glare. Gray swore he felt holes in his chest now due to the glare.

Loke then looked at Erza and said, "The scumbag is right. Natsu is END. The Spirit King told me himself."

Erza looked dumfounded, the person that they been looking for was actually in front of them the whole time? Gray cleared his throat and continued now, "Yes. Thank you Loke. As I was saying. I came here to confront him." Jellal knew what was coming and started moving forward to stop Erza from killing Gray. Killing a killer was not helpful. "So when we met, he was with Lucy. We talked and agreed he needed to die. So he asked me to do it. I obliged…" Gray looked at Erza who was shaking in rage. The they made eye contact and Gray saw her eyes. Her eyes said only one thing: die. She made to kill him, but was stopped.

Erza looked to see Jellal stopping her, his eyes somber and full of remorse. "Erza. Killing him won't do anything." Erza looked away from Jellal, knowing he was right. But that didn't mean she liked it. She hated that fact. She hated Gray. How could someone kill someone they grew up with? Why would they? WHY?

Then she remembered Lucy and looked at Gray again, asking him, "And what about Lucy? Why did she…"

"Lucy snapped. She had been so lonely. She couldn't live without Natsu, not again. So she killed herself." Gray said, his voice full of pain. "Loke. The rest of you. I'm sorry. I was too slow to stop her."

Loke looked at Gray with contempt. He hated this man now. He killed the last bit of Lucy's sanity. He was the reason Lucy died. HIM. "Shut up. I don't wanna hear it. We only came to say goodbye. With Lucy being our last master and her having not assigned a successor we will be sent away. Our keys will be scattered and most likely never found again. We will never see any of you again. Goodbye." Loke said.

However one of the spirits still looked beyond mad. The others looked sad or resigned to their fate, but not this one. This spirit was Lucy's first, her first friend, her go-to spirit: Aquarius. While she may not ever physically say it, Aquarius loved Lucy more than anyone. They were close, they were like an older and younger sister combination, they were true friends. Aquarius had sacrificed herself to save Lucy, which was the last time they had seen each other. Ever.

Aquarius looked at Gray, her glare even stronger than Loke's, and made to attack him. She never said a word, just grabbed her water jug and attacked. However her attack never made any real threat to Gray, as she and the other Zodiac's started glowing. Then they went up and were dispersed, each spirit heading in its own direction far away from Fiore. They truly never were seen again, no one in Fiore ever found them.

The Spirit King was still there however. He looked at Gray, then at Erza, then said, "Kill him. For my old friend." With that he left, returning to the spirit world. He was also never seen again, he had no need as, other than Yukino, there were no celestial spirits strong enough to earn his attention. At least not in Fiore.

And try to kill him Erza did, she thrashed against Jellal's hold and yelled wildly at Gray. However Jellal's hold was too tight, she was unable to break free and he led her away from Gray. He took her far enough away so that she could no longer see Gray and let go, only to give her a hug. She was stiff at first until she finally let her emotions out and started crying. She sobbed uncontrollably, two of her best friends were dead and another one was better off dead to her. Jellal knew this sadness and just let her cry it out, consoling her. He consoled her for the next two days, until everyone else arrived and the funeral took place. Throughout all this time, she never once came close to forgiving Gray. Not once. She never did for the rest of her life. Every time she saw him, she tried to kill him. Gray had broken the will of the Titania of Fairy Tail. She was no longer the same, she was a shell of her former self.

And unbeknownst to her and everyone else, they were being watched by the two who they mourned. And everything they saw broke them as well.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: Well that took longer than expected. Sorry. I had hoped to have this done by Tuesday. It is now Friday for me. Well I hope you enjoyed this somehow, READ AND REVIEW GUYS! ADIOS!**


	7. Chapter 7

The End of a Long Wait

**A/N: Fortunately this chapter wasn't as long as a wait as the wait that happened in this chapter. The wait Natsu and Lucy had, I mean. You'll see how long in a second. Well, the end of this story is now upon us. I won't bore you with how emotional this story has been, you know that already. I hope you like it. ENJOY!**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

(The Day After the Previous Chapter)

If you had asked Natsu who he thought he would greet first in purgatory, he would have said master Makarov. He was old and already on the edge of death. On fact he had already planned a speech for him. He was going to thank him for everything then apologize for all the trouble he had caused. Master would smile and say it was ok and that he wouldn't have changed a thing. They would laugh and hug it out. Then they would wait for everyone else. A decent start to Natsu's first hell.

You could imagine the horror he experienced when he witnessed the first death. It wasn't master Makarov. No it was someone who he had hoped would be the last one there. Someone who was so close to him that seeing him die first crushed him. The first death was Romeo Conbolt. The one who many agreed was like Natsu's younger brother, Natsu himself included.

Romeo had been out on a mission to destroy a dark guild along with some of his new guild members, as he had joined a younger guild when Fairy Tail disbanded, and was fighting the guild's master. He had been winning too, he had become so strong since Natsu first met him. Then something happened. He got a call on his Fairy Tail lacrima. He had gotten the emergency call already, but he was mid mission he couldn't leave just yet. Then he read the message while fighting. It had said Natsu and Lucy were dead and a funeral was to be held. Romeo had stopped fighting, moving, breathing, thinking. His world had just been crushed. And then he was crushed. His enemy used that moment to deliver the final blow, using his magic to blow a hole in Romeo's chest where his heart was.

When Natsu saw Romeo's heart be blown away, his heart went with it. He yelled and launched magic at the screen, which merely phased through it, before he started crying. That was how Romeo found him when he arrived in their purgatory, on the floor crying with Lucy holding him. "Natsu-nii?" Romeo asked quietly, his voice quivering at the sight before him. The man he had looked up to and respected reverently as if he were a saint was lying on the floor crying like he was a two-year-old baby. He could not handle the sight. He broke down himself, tears falling from his eyes freely.

Natsu and Lucy looked up to see Romeo there and immediately stood up and hugged him. The three cried for what seemed like hours, no words being exchanged between them. What could they say? They were all dead. Romeo far too early for any of their liking. Natsu and Lucy in a way far too depressing. Natsu being the reason, indirectly, that Romeo was dead. There were far too many emotions for words to suffice.

However there was no chance for words either as after a long while Romeo was engulfed in a bright light. "Huh?" All three said simultaneously as they did not know what was happening. Then Romeo started ascending, leaving the duo there standing yelling at him.

"NO! Wait! WAIT ROMEO! WAAAAIIITTT!" Natsu yelled and reached up to try and grab Romeo. But he couldn't, his hand merely went through Romeo's ankle as he kept going up. Natsu then fell to his knees, looking up and yelling as loudly as possible with tears streaming down his face.

Then the bright light from before returned again in its dimmed state. "Oh honestly, what did you expect?" It asked, her voice sounding annoyed. "Stop being so loud, it won't keep anyone here longer."

"YOU! BRING HIM BACK! I WANT TO TALK TO HIM!" Natsu roared, his magic seeping out of him along a serious killing intent. He would fight this spirit if he had to, he wanted to talk to Romeo at least once and explain himself.

But the light merely sighed and said, "Must I show my true form? Honestly you humans are fools, you always freak out when one of us shows you the true form. Well at least it will be easier to explain with hands. I can point at you two that way. And the man is an idiot and would do better with visuals. Hmmm, ok I'll show you my true form." Lucy had been quiet so far but unlike Natsu had been listening to the light talk. It had another form that had hands, it wasn't scared of Natsu, and it was about to do something.

And then it did. The light started glowing brightly again so Natsu and Lucy couldn't see and gained a human shape. Then it grew, grew, and kept growing until it was a little over ten feet tall. And instead of being a simple light it had a human shape and was seemingly engulfed in fire, a massive sword appearing on its hip. Two wings appeared on its back and were also seemingly engulfed in fire, proof that this light was an angel. A very scary looking one.

As it was no longer a blinding light, Natsu and Lucy were able to see it. And both of them were scared shitless, Natsu would have tried to fight it but he couldn't move. His brain wouldn't let him as he knew he couldn't touch this thing. Lucy simply stared with her mouth agape, her mind unable to form words. How could this be what an angel looks like? Where was the beautiful human or baby looking thing that everyone said they looked like? This thing would make anyone need new underwear, even a real dragon would be terrified.

The angel sighed knowing they were scared and said, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. Now time for a full explanation. You will get to meet each and every person who the Lord deems you need to meet. You will have about three." The angel held up three fingers to emphasize its point, "Three hours. You must make your amends in that time or else they will go to their new home. I will tell you that Romeo was admitted into heaven, he had a pure heart and not nearly enough blood on his hands to join you two in hell. There won't be many who will. Now you two have fun. I'm leaving unless there are any questions?"

The angel waited and when it saw none smiled and poofed away. Natsu and Lucy only stood there and attempted to process everything, the situation seemingly incomprehensible. They would only get three hours? "YES!" Yelled the angel once last time as a bright light appeared above them, its response coming after it read their thoughts. So they could not even think without the angel responding? "I'll only answer legitimate questions!" the angel responded once more, annoying both Natsu and Lucy.

"Are you fucking serious?!" Natsu asked showing his annoyance, yelling straight up to where the angel had appeared the past two times.

"Like I said, only legitimate questions. Now stop whining and prepare yourselves, you better plan out what you will say to each person. It's either three hours or until the person coming is ready to pass on. Or if God says its time to move on." The angel responded and left the duo to prepare for the next person to come and visit them.

It didn't take very long, only three months. They had planned those three months and made sure to maximize the time they would have with every person. So when master came to them next they were prepared for him. He saw them and immediately looked as if he were about to have another heart attack, which is what killed him on earth. But Natsu and Lucy held up their hands as Natsu said, "Wait gramps. No you are not still alive somehow. So don't freak out. We aren't ghosts either, we are all dead. You are in our purgatory. We have been condemned to stay here and greet certain people."

"Granted the privilege of greeting them!" The angel said snarkily, snickering as it felt the duo's annoyance.

Master looked around weirded out by the previous exchange but knowing that something was off. He coughed to regain their attention and said, "Is there anything you'd wish to say?"

Lucy nodded as she refocused and said, "Yes. I want to apologize for causing you so much pain in the end. I did what I did because I was selfish. But I don't regret it. I was never going to be lonely ever again. Ever." Lucy sounded determined, sure of herself, and like a true adult. That made master proud. She had followed her own path, albeit not what he had wanted and it was a bit twisted but she had done things her way. He may never forgive her but he was proud that she had grown up.

Then Natsu stepped forward and said, "Master. Gramps. I also want to apologize but hope you understand that I did what I knew needed to be done. I was, am, a demon from Zeref's book. I could not be allowed to live. I may have killed Zeref and Acnologia but that doesn't change what I truly am. I am evil. And evil needs to die. Which is why I agreed with Gray and asked him to do what he did. So if you wish to blame anyone, blame me. I could have very easily stopped this from happening, but I didn't. I chose to sacrifice my life for the greater good. To protect you and everyone else that I loved. And don't blame Lucy, blame me. I never once considered what others would feel I just did what needed to be done. It's no one's fault that anyone died but my own."

Natsu also sounded different, mature, certain of himself, and calm. He seemed at peace for once. And once again master was proud of a child of his. Although this is not what he had meant by following your own path, Natsu had done just that. And with that master had heard all he needed to hear. A light engulfed him as he said, "Well then. I guess I have heard all I needed to. I have nothing to say, you two followed your own paths, just like I had hoped for. I may now rest in peace knowing you two did what I had hoped for. Goodbye."

He then became fully engulfed in light but something was wrong. He hadn't moved yet. He just stayed where he was, confusing Natsu and Lucy. Then it made sense. The light that engulfed became black and he was sucked downwards. He had been damned to hell. But why? What had he done to deserve hell? "Really? Is it that surprising? He was a mage for a very long time and was one who did a lot of very bad things. He may have done good by you kids and was very kind in his old age, but that doesn't change all of the dark things he did for Fairy Tail. He was a great man but a dark man." The angel responded and the two knew this was true. One doesn't stop as many bad things as he did without having to step into the darkness a bit.

Natsu remembered the angel's words then, about answering questions, and asked, "How many will we have to say goodbye to? And how many will go to hell?"

The angel heard the questions, which were legitimate questions now, but didn't know the answer. Only one man did, and it wasn't that man. So that is what it told them, "I do not know. To either of your questions. Only God knows. I can only say this, as of right now prepare to send many of your guests to hell."

Natsu and Lucy could only look down, sad that many of their friends last images before hell would be of them. But that was how it went. It took ten years but the next visitor came in Gildarts who died in battle against the new threat to the world, the newest black mage known as Roth. Their exchange was short, with Natsu saying sorry and that he wanted to fight Gildarts one last time. Gildarts had laughed and said no, he had enough fighting to last eternity. And with that he went to his new home: hell.

The next wait was not nearly as long, only two weeks before Laxus and his thunder god tribe plus Elfman, Evergreen's husband now, arrived. They had all died in the same way Gildarts had, losing to Roth. Laxus had taken him on first, with the others as his support, and fought well but was still not enough. He fell and then Roth quickly killed the others, which could have been avoided

The exchange between the two groups was long, taking the entire three hours. This was mainly because Natsu and Laxus had only last fight to decide who was stronger. And the battle never even ended. Natsu and Laxus were both going for their finishing blow when suddenly Laxus and the others were engulfed by the light that turned black and sent them all to hell. Natsu was outraged, yelling, "NO WAIT! LET US FINISH!"

But his pleas fell on deaf ears. God did not care, he had already surpassed his allotted time and why would God give anything else to this demon? So Natsu raged for the next week, watching as his remaining friends, who he and Lucy were forced to watch as their lives unfolded, struggled to combat this new threat in Roth. All while being unable to do anything.

The next wait was one year, when a very sad looking group of exceeds appeared. They had died when Roth came and destroyed New Extalia, looking for new magic to consume and destroy. You see, Roth was a magic cancellation mage or an anti magic mage. He hated magic because he could not use the same magic others could so he sought to destroy all of it. And he was succeeding, the number of mages left now only half of when Roth appeared. No one seemed capable of stopping him. Especially not these three exceeds or any of the others who died making sure the others escaped.

"Happy. Buddy. I'm sorry." Natsu started, his words only able to come in short bursts as he looked at his best buddy. "I'm sorry I left you like that. But I had to. I did it for you." Natsu was crying, as was Lucy, and could barely manage any words.

However, Happy wasn't having any of it. He had heard enough and simply thought so, he didn't want to hear it right now. So he and the other exceeds were engulfed in light and unlike everyone but Romeo, their lights stayed pure and they ascended to heaven. "Happy wait! You can't leave me like this! You won't get another chance to hear me out! HAPPY!" Natsu yelled out in vain. Happy had never forgiven either of them for what they had done. Nor would he, he had been put through too much by them to be able to.

Natsu cried for days, unable to be consoled. His best buddy had left without even allowing him to apologize or without acknowledging him. His best buddy had left him on awful terms. Lucy was the same way, someone she cared for deeply would never be able to understand her motives and would eternally be mad at her, never forgiving her. She would never be able to say she was sorry to poor Happy and that, that really broke her. If anyone deserved an apology it was Happy.

For the next ten years they prepared for the next guest. The reason it took ten years was because someone was finally able to defeat Roth two years later. And that person was Gray Fullbuster. He discovered a flaw that only he could take advantage of in Roth's magic: he couldn't cancel out curses. A demon's curse, their version of magic, is different than human magic which is what Roth is able to cancel out. So Gray, who had not been seen since being banished by master after the funerals as he was living with Juvia in exile, confronted Roth and defeated him. But no one knew that, they only knew that a hooded man defeated Roth. Gray had not wanted people to know who did this, only that it had been done. Only two people knew and they were stuck in purgatory: Natsu and Lucy.

But the person they greeted next was someone that, after watching them live, they expected to see last. It was Wendy Marvell they saw next. She had been helping a group of people who had been fighting a war in a country near Fiore called Minstrel as they fought Desierto, as she had become known as the greatest healer in the world. However, she was killed by enemy artillery, the enemy thinking the triage tent was actually the command tent.

The exchange between Wendy, Natsu, and Lucy was short and sweet. In fact only Wendy spoke as she said, "Lucy-san, I understand why you did what you did. I was like you, I was alone and it was extremely painful. Being alone is unbearable. So I understand why you would not want to live without the one person who made you happier and made you feel like you were never alone. And Natsu I understand why you did what you did as well. You wanted to protect everyone like always. That's all. I never once felt angry with you. I feel at peace with you." And with that Wendy was engulfed in light and was sent to heaven, where she really belonged. Natsu and Lucy actually felt happy for the first time while doing this, someone did not hate them at least.

The next one to come did not come for another twenty years. And she was doing what she always did when she died, being a light for people. Erza Scarlet-Fernandes died holding off an entire dark guild by herself so a town could escape. When she came to where Natsu and Lucy were, she immediately began reprimanding them as always. "YOU TWO! Natsu who do you think you are to give up your life like that?! Lucy, how could you value yourself so little that you would kill yourself? AND why are you two not in…"

Natsu cut her off, shockingly no longer scared of her, and said, "Erza. You have to understand why we did what we did by now. I sacrificed myself to protect everyone like you do. And you did everything to get Jellal free so you wouldn't be alone, Lucy just did an extreme version of what you did. We did what we thought what we had to do, we followed our own path. Is there anything else you'd rather have us do?" Lucy nodded in agreement with Natsu, her thoughts mirroring his. Which is not surprising as they had prepared for this and got on the same page and had fully forgiven and agreed with each other.

Erza could see this and knew Natsu was, shockingly, right. She had done what they had done and knew from the way they looked at her they didn't regret their choices anymore. Sighing she relaxed and said, "Ok. I understand but do not agree with your decision. But now at least, I can respect your decision as well. I can move on now. Natsu, Lucy I forgive you and ask for your forgiveness for not being more understanding. Now I will take my leave." And with that the pure light engulfed Erza. But then something truly odd and shocking happened. The light turned black and she was sucked down into hell.

"WHAT!?" Both Natsu and Lucy yelled out, how could someone like Erza be condemned to hell?

"Oh my. Well it would seem that her time in that one group with her husband did it. She did a lot of dark things in her time, all for the greater good but still, do the crime do the time I guess. Sorry." The angel who had become less and less of an annoying guard and more like someone who explained the unknown to them. But right now it was back to its old role and being hated by Natsu and Lucy.

But they could do nothing for now, only wait for this torture to end so they can start the next one in hell. The wait was much longer this time. But it was also the last wait. Fifty years. Fifty long years of watching these two live a quiet life in exile, in the neighboring country of Bosco. The final visitors were Gray and Juvia Fullbuster.

When Natsu saw Gray he stood extremely upright and looked at him carefully. Then, after seeing he had his old body back, he said all too nostalgically, "Hey Ice-breath, you wanna go?" His body relaxed and got into a fighting position.

When Gray first saw Natsu he was worried that he would be there to tell him that he was going to haunt his kids or something. Or that while he had asked him to kill him that he would resent him. But hearing him say those words immediately eased Gray's mind and let him know that he was forgiven. Gray chuckled and got into a fighting position as well and said, "You're on Flame-brain!"

So the two fought. Their fight was amazing, the final battle the two would ever have and it looked like it. It lasted almost the entire time that was allotted but it was worth it. Both were able to finally see who was stronger. The answer to that question was… neither. Both of them were unable to beat the other and simply laid on the floor of purgatory, out of breath and tired.

"Hey, Flame-breath." Gray said as he laid on the ground next to Natsu, the ladies tending to their man, "Those things I said before I… Well you know. What I said, I…"

"Shut up!" Natsu roared surprising everyone, "I know you wanna apologize but from the moment you said those words I knew you didn't mean any of it. So shut up, you don't gotta say anything. Just go to hell already." His voice was squeaky almost, knowing that his wait was finally over. But he was not happy. Gray smirked at him and let the black light that had taken so many of their friends to hell engulfed both him and Juvia and dragged them to hell.

Natsu and Lucy looked at each other and began to cry. They knew what was about to happen. They were going to hell. The angel reappeared and was in his true form. He looked at them and sighed, seeing them both crying and holding each other. Then he said, "I'm sorry you two. But the time has come. Goodbye." And with that, Natsu and Lucy were engulfed by the light and dragged to hell.

When they arrived they saw what hell was, empty. But then the two realized something else, they were both alone. It would seem their torture would be eternal isolation from each other, from anyone other than the devil, and to be driven crazy by it. The long wait was over now. They wish it wasn't, they wish they still had each other. Forever.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: Fin. I don't know if I love it. But it definitely does what this story was meant to do, depress the hell out of everyone. Sorry if the reactions here aren't too detailed but I did want to partially spare you guys. Also I want to see if you guys can figure out how long they had to wait. And as the new summary says, if you want to see something else in this story let me know! But for now, Read, Review, and Adios mis hijos! **


	8. Chapter 8

**NOT AN ACTUAL CHAPTER! Hey guys, I am so sorry that I have been unable to update any of my stories lately, I have been in the middle of moving and have no time to actually sit down and write a chapter for one of my stories. Now, the reason I post this on this specific story is something that I think all of you who did not like the ending will love to hear! I WILL BE WRITING A PART TWO TO THIS STORY! But what exactly it will entail and be about is still unsure; I am not one hundred percent sure about Johnny Spectre's idea of the two fighting through hell just yet. Maybe I will do something else, or I might just do his idea. But do know that after I finish the moving process I will be writing again! **

**Also on the topic of this story, the last chapter of the manga was crazy! Gray just leaving to join people all about Zeref seems extremely unlikely unless he's trying to find out who exactly E.N.D is or he really has gone crazy. But for now it seems more and more likely that my theory of the final battle being between Gray and Natsu, and the winner taking down Zeref, is likely. But who knows right? ADIOS for now! AND BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR ACTUAL UPDATES!**


End file.
